New series may bring starting lineup changes for Celtics

New series may bring starting lineup changes for Celtics

BOSTON – Down 2-0 to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens inserted Gerald Green into the starting lineup and Boston hasn’t lost a game since.

But this is a new series, and that may result in a change to the starting lineup even after their 123-11 Game 1 win over the Wizards.

Green, who struggled during most of the seven minutes, 25 seconds of court time he saw in Game 1, did not begin the third quarter with the first unit.

Instead, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens decided to go with Marcus Smart in the third quarter who finished Game 1 with six points, three rebounds and four assists.

There's a chance that Smart could replace Green in the starting lineup for Game 2.

Stevens said there are factors that may come into play which may affect whether he makes a lineup change or not.

“I don’t know … wait and see kind of as the series goes on,” Stevens said. “And obviously (Markieff) Morris’ availability may affect some of our decisions with regard to how we rotate our bench. So we’ll see.”

Morris suffered a left ankle sprain after he landed on the foot of Al Horford, and was unable to return.

Washington head coach Scott Brooks said he watched the video of the play and “it didn’t look good.”

When asked about whether he would play in Game 2, Morris left no doubt that his intention was to indeed be in the Wizards starting lineup for on Tuesday.

“Oh sure. Oh yeah. It ain’t broke,” said Morris, referring to his ankle. “That’s what I do know.”

Ainge: 'Setback' wrong word to use about Hayward

Ainge: 'Setback' wrong word to use about Hayward

When Danny Ainge says, "You know what? Sometimes I talk too much," Ainge told the Boston Herald over the weekend. "'Setback' wasn't the right word, so let me rephrase that because it's not exactly true to say it - or say it that way.

The Celtics president of basketball operations, in his weekly radio interview with Toucher and Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub and simulcast on NBC Sports Boston, used that word when he was describing how Gordon Hayward is coming along in his recovery.

"He had like one setback for a couple of weeks, maybe a month and a half ago," Ainge said on the radio last week. "We were progressing a little bit too fast, we thought."

Ainge clarified that to the Herald's Steve Bulpett.

"What happened is he went on the AlterG [anti-gravity treadmill] the first day and he felt some soreness," he said. "It was the first day he tried the AlterG, a long time ago. He just wasn't ready for it at that point. That's all it was."

Chest pains and lack of sleep lead to medical leave for Cavs coach Lue

Chest pains and lack of sleep lead to medical leave for Cavs coach Lue

CLEVELAND - Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is taking a leave of absence from the team to address health issues that have included chest pains and loss of sleep.

Lue said Monday in a statement that tests have offered no conclusion about what the issue is and offered no timetable for his return. The coach said he feels he needs to step away "and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation" from which to coach the rest of the season.

I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.

"While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team. I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season," Lue said. "My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the championship we are all working towards."

A stress-filled season for the Cavs has taken a toll on the Lue, 40, a former Celtics assistant under Doc Rivers who led them to the 2016 NBA championship after taking over for David Blatt midway through that season. They are j40-29, third in the Eastern Conference, behind the second-place Celtics and East-leading Toronto Raptors, and have endured roster shake-ups, injuries and other distractions as they try to return to the NBA Finals.

David Aldridge of TNT reports that the plan is for Lue to return in a week. The NBA playoffs begin April 14.

Tyronn Lue will be on a one-week plan to address his health issues, per source. The current plan is to return to the bench next week.

"We all want great players, we all want the best teams, but with that comes a lot of pressure as well. And what Ty Lue has had to go through this year with that team, with the trades and the injuries and the pressure, it's unrelenting," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "So I hope that he gets healthy and is able to get back in time for the playoffs and help that team win as many games as possible."

Lue spent the second half of Cleveland's victory in Chicago on Saturday in the locker room because of an illness, the second time this season he left a game because he wasn't feeling well. The former NBA guard also sat one out against Chicago at home in December.

Associate head coach Larry Drew coached the second half of Saturday's game, the finale of a six-game, 11-day road trip. Cleveland is back home to host Milwaukee on Monday.

"We know how difficult these circumstances are for Coach Lue and we support him totally in this focused approach to addressing his health issues," general manager Koby Altman said.

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford also left his team to address his health this season. He took six weeks off. Medical tests revealed that the 56-year-old Clifford did not have any internal problems, but the doctor's diagnosis was the coach was suffering from severe sleep deprivation.